Top Best Friends the New Face for Clean & Clear®Skincare brand celebrates true friendship with annual contest

After months of search, Clean & Clear® has finally found the dynamic duo to be the face of the brand through its annual Top Best Friends contest. Themed 'Beauty, Personality, Friendship', this year's Top Best Friends grand finale saw a tight competition between ten pairs of vivacious and confident female BFFs taking their friendship center stage to vie for the crowns.

"Understanding the significance of a best friend in a young adult's life, Clean & Clear® celebrates true friendships today by crowning the Top Best Friends that most complement each other," said Eunice Tan, Group Commercial Director for Singapore and Malaysia, Johnson & Johnson in her speech during the grand finale.

"This is in line with our brand's commitment to be girls' best skin-care companion, boosting their confidence by helping them achieve beautiful, clean and clear-looking skin," she added.

Tan further explained that Clean & Clear® is like a trusted friend to young women in the possibly confusing years of growing up. The brand's products are specially designed for young girls that have a wide range of cleansers for every skin type.

"Just like a true friend, we cherish girls' trust on our brand and continuously work hard to maintain it. This drives Clean & Clear® to carry out extensive researches and studies to understand young adults' skin, so that we can deliver innovative skincare technology that is safe and suitable for them," she pointed out.

Since the Top Best Friends contest announcement in May 2012, entries from female teenage duos all over Malaysia have been pouring in via Clean &Clear®'s Facebook page. 60 best friends were shortlisted to attend an audition, and from it, 20 pairs were selected to participate in a beauty boot camp. Finally, ten promising duos make the cut as finalists to vie for the crowns during the grand finale, which was held recently at The Actor's Studio @ Rooftop, Lot 10.

Competition was stiff among the qualified best buddies as they were all dynamic and inspiring young women. Ultimately, the judges were looking for well-rounded individuals that have the best chemistry with each other. While great skin, nice smile and natural beauty were among the judging criteria, the winning duo also needed to be confident, energetic, photogenic and lovable. Fluency in English and Malay language was also a major plus.

"The Clean & Clear® Top Best Friend contest serves as a platform for young girls who light up each other's lives to shine together on this stage. They can showcase their talents, enjoy the limelight and most importantly, create a unique memory together that they can recount with laughter many years later," said Tan.

"We had so much fun during the contest last year. The moment when we were crowned as the Clean & Clear® Top Best Friends is one that we always tell our friends and family, and hopefully one day we would even tell it to our grandkids!" exclaimed Nur Afiqah.

For 2010 Top Best Friends Shalma Ainaa Bt. Brahanutheen and Safiah Bt. Omar Zambri, the contest had strengthened their friendship.

"From the day we submitted our entry form to the moment we won, Safiah had been my source of support. I was so nervous to stand in front of the judges, and my best friend was the one who assured me that I can do it. Her patience and confidence in me made me cherish her even more," said Shalma, while Safiah grinned beside her.

The Top Best Friends crowned this year would not only be the face of Clean & Clear® for 2012; the duo also walked away with RM5,000 cash, a Pandora BFF charm bracelet, and one year supply of Clean & Clear® products for each person. The remaining finalists were also not disappointed – they had the chance to vie for personality prizes, such as the Most Confident Pair, Most Photogenic Pair, Most Compatible Pair and Most Daring Pair. Each of these duos would bag RM1,000 cash, a Pandora BFF charm bracelet and, for each person, Clean & Clear® products worth more than RM100.

The five pairs of consolation prize winners were also awarded with a Pandora BFF charm bracelet each, while every winnertook home Clean & Clear® products worth more than RM60.

To find out more about Clean & Clear® and who wins Top Best Friends 2012, log on to "My Clean & Clear®" page on Facebook.